As 2017 comes to an end, the Coloradoan is looking back at some of the stories and people who made headlines and what’s next for them in 2018.
A house of worship is meant to be a sanctuary.
The Islamic Center of Fort Collins is such a refuge, but it is also guarded by 16 high-resolution security cameras, glass-break alarms and motion detectors.
These security measures cost about $14,000 and were deemed necessary after a hooded man lobbed two rocks and a Bible into the prayer hall in the early morning hours of a Sunday night in March.
People arriving at 5:30 a.m. for the first prayer of the following day discovered shattered glass sprayed across the thick, red carpet. The perpetrator had thrown one rock with enough force to leave scuff marks on the wood paneling on the opposite side of the room.
Leaders of the 925 W. Lake St. mosque decided to postpone the children's Sunday school program so they wouldn't witness the police investigation and feel that their center isn't welcome in the community.
Since that time, the criminal case against 36-year-old vandal Joseph Giaquinto has neared completion after fits and starts, and Islamic Center leaders have worked to quell their members' fears about additional threats.
"It's on everybody's mind, with all the political turmoil going on," said Islamic Center President Tawfik Aboellail, who was just elected this month to his third term. "We are going to keep a vigilant and heightened guard."
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The vandalism in Fort Collins came amid a national spike in anti-Muslim incidents and was one of at least three such occurrences in Colorado this year.
In February, a man tampered with the lock box of the Masjid Abu Bakr mosque in Denver before throwing a rock through the window, according to the Denver Post. In June, a man made a series of threatening calls to Lakewood's Rocky Mountain Islamic Center, during which he used obscenities and said members would "pay for Manchester and London," according to the Lakewood Sentinel.
The Fort Collins incident spurred Islamic Center leaders to establish a closer working relationship with city police, who they said initially had a lukewarm response to the vandalism. They've also increased security at the site and spent more time coordinating with other faith leaders by hosting educational events focused on protecting houses of worship.
"It was quite surprising, but from there we went on to assure our community members that Fort Collins is still a safe place and the mosque is still a safe place," said Shakir Muhammad, one of the center's seven executive members. "Most of them did feel just that."
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Amid the turmoil, the center is expanding. Construction is ongoing to finish the center's basement, which will feature an all-purpose room and a commercial-grade kitchen.
Leaders plan to continue hosting events on the center's sprawling lawn, as well as adding events in the basement. However, Aboellail said, such events force center officials to make security considerations. When they begin to host events in the basement, they'll hire off-duty police officers or recruit volunteers to keep watch upstairs, he said.
Leaders look forward to having a space where members can cook, eat together and forge stronger connections, including with international students at Colorado State University.
"My primary goal and wish is to make the center useful to the congregants," Muhammad said of his hopes for 2018. "We all have social needs, economic needs and, obviously, religious needs."
Leaders also look forward to hosting more community open houses and dinners.
"With our mosque just next to campus and in one of the hearts of Fort Collins," Muhammad said, "we can take advantage of the location and the ample space we have in our building to tell people who we are and who we aren't."
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In December, Giaquinto pleaded guilty to felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor bias-motivated crime, the legal term for a hate crime. His guilty plea was part of a plea deal that stipulated he would be sentenced to wellness court, rather than jail or prison, on the felony charge.
Per state statute, a bias-motivated crime occurs when someone knowingly causes bodily injury, uses words or conduct, or destroys property with the intent to intimidate another person because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability or sexual orientation.
Wellness court is an option for defendants whose mental health issues affect their criminal behavior. People referred to wellness court receive therapy and psychiatric treatment while under supervised probation rather than serving time in prison.
Giaquinto will be required to complete three years of wellness court with a deferred sentence, which means he could be sentenced to jail or prison time if he does not meet the requirements of the court.
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On the misdemeanor charge, sentencing is open to the court, meaning Giaquinto could face up to 18 months in jail and probation. He will be sentenced Thursday.
Aboellail expressed frustration at what he described as a process that was lenient toward Giaquinto in a way it wouldn't have been if the roles were reversed.
"Like I told the judge before, if one of us did similar vandalism, we would have been in prison for decades," Aboellail said. "Justice would have been swift and unwavering.
"We don't wish anyone ill, but we want to deter anyone else who might think about hurting us."
Reporter Cassa Niedringhaus covers breaking news for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter: @CassaMN.